Step 1

For the crust: preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Combine the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and melted butter until well mixed. Press the mixture evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a deep 9.5-inch pie plate (see note). Bake for 8-10 minutes until fragrant and lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Step 2

For the cheesecake: in a medium bowl with an electric hand mixer (or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), mix together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and lemon zest until smooth and creamy, 1-2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Step 3

Add the sour cream and lemon juice; mix until well-combined, 1-2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the melted and cooled white chocolate and whip until creamy and thick. If the batter is at all warm from adding the white chocolate, refrigerate until chilled so the whipping cream will thicken properly (probably not necessary if the white chocolate was cooled for enough time).

Step 4

Add the chilled heavy cream and mix until very thick and creamy, 3-4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Spread the cheesecake filling evenly in the cooled crust. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours to let the filling chill and set up (or up to 24 hours).

Step 5

For the blueberry topping: in a medium saucepan, combine the water, sugar, cornstarch, blueberries and lemon juice. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture bubbles and thickens, 4-5 minutes (you can continue letting it cook longer if you want the blueberries to break down a bit more). Remove from the heat, scrape the mixture into a bowl, press plastic wrap directly on the surface, and let it cool to room temperature (see note for make-ahead options).

Step 6

Serve slices of cheesecake with a dollop of blueberry topping OR spread the blueberry topping evenly over the entire cheesecake (you can do this several hours in advance and chill ahead of time) and cut pieces to serve.